LAKERS X-FACTOR: Andrew Bynum's knee

Wednesday on the Mason & Ireland Show on 710 ESPN, Lakers center Andrew Bynum joined us. He told us that his knee injury (a sprained MCL) is way less severe than last year's kneecap subluxation, which required surgery. If you want to hear the whole interview, go to this link.

Phil has been very testy when asked about Bynum in the last couple of weeks. His standard retort is "I'm not talking about it until April." You could interpret that as meaning that Andrew's rehab isn't going well, but I am of the belief, and he backs it up in our conversation, that he will be back for the playoffs.

Ideally, he could come back for a few games down the stretch. A suggestion/hunch? Maybe he comes back for the Lakers home game against the Clippers on Sunday, April 5. Then he gets 6 games: h Clippers, @ Sacramento, h Denver, @ Portland, h Memphis and h Utah, before facing whoever the 8-seed is in the Western Conference.

Bynum coming back is important for 2 reasons. With Bynum back in the lineup, either Trevor Ariza or Lamar Odom could shift back to the 2nd unit, which has been struggling mightily the last couple of weeks. And, of course, he gives LA a physical presence down low. He is tough (just ask Gerald Wallace), and it'll be hard to out-physical the Lakers with Andrew on the floor.

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The Winter X Games are held in January or February (usually in January) and the Summer X Games are usually held in August, both in the United States. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, and prize dollars. The competition often features new tricks such as Tony Hawk's 900 in skateboarding, Anthony Napolitan with the first ever double front flip on a bicycle and Travis Pastrana's double backflip in Freestyle Motocross. Concurrent with competition is the "X Fest" sports and music festival, which offers live music, athlete autograph sessions and interactive elements. The location of the Winter X Games is in Aspen, Colorado through 2012, while the location for the Summer X Games is in Los Angeles through 2009. The X Games also has international competitions and demos around the world that are held at varying times throughout the year.